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Hello again!

As a finish painting my fourth and last Space Wolves Intercessor and start working on my Intercessor Sergeant, I'm struggling with some questions concerning heraldry patterns. I have found some conflicting sources, and I'd appreciate your advice and guidance.

So, the theory. As per the attached picture: left pauldron bears the great company's sigil (I have painted it yellow, as I'll go with the Blackmanes), right pauldron denotes the role and unit, with Intercessors (as well as others) using a red/black scheme. The specific pattern is "free", and defines the specific pack (so, a given pack of intercessors would go with a red/black pattern, and another pack would go with same colors, different pattern). Is this last bit correct? If that is so, I just need to think of a pattern that I can freehand easily with my shaky mittens.

Now, I'm struggling with the right knee... if the attached guidance is to be followed, then the right knee usually replicates the marking in the right pauldron (i.e, pack and pack type). Again, this would mean red/black and whichever amorphous blob I can draw. Buuuuuut...

Enters the guidance in the stupid Citadel Colou app, which suggests a red right pauldron and a yellow right knee... which would mean the right knee replicates the left pauldron, also in yellow. And this is the guidance I have followed so far (so, my right knees are already a juicy yellow) I have also seen pics with both knees unpainted, so I guess the answer is "whatever rocks your boat, mate", and those knees are definitely staying yellow, but being a bit obsessive about lore, I can't help but asking.

Last but not least: the sarge's helmet. The common Codex Astartes convention seems to be that Sergeants don a red helmet, but I'm not sure the SW would fit that particular mold. I guess the answer could be "Hah! Trick question! Space Wolves Sergeants go without a helmet! But this model comes with a helmet, so I have to go with a color. Possibly red.

Bonus question: the chest shield thingie, that both the sarge -and also the captain- have. I'm struggling with that one too... thematically, it fits extremely well with more "knightly" chapters (DA, UM...), but it feels at odds with the theme of the SW... I can always slap a rune there (which is what I'm planning on doing), but I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

PS: I'm not sure I'm attaching the file properly, so I'm including the link as well: https://i.redd.it/6wwwu33rgii11.jpg

It has been a while since I did this. I played wolves in 5th edition. So no primaris.

From memory there where 5 colours:
Blood claws/other hotheaded bikers and jump packs. (Swift and skyclaw.)
Grey hunter
Wolf Guards
Long Fangs

Primaris should follow those colours I would think. Reivers would be like scouts, intergressors like grey hunters, assault integressors like blood claws etc.

Now as far as the 5th edition codex went people inside the squad did not have the same symbols nesaserraly.

Now other shoulder had the colour of the company wolf lord. (Ragnar as default colour on all pictures. Black anf yellow.) But the Forge World book doom of mymeria had Bran Redmaw. White with a redsnouted black wolf.

However, it spesificly said it did not need to depict the company wolf lord as long as it had those colours.

I also think this has changed a lot over editions. Wulfen was not a regular unit back then for instance. Neither where primaris. Also, there was a 4th edition 13th company with alternative colours.

How ever, I painted my SW in purple and orange. Working on Bjorn now. :-)

Purple and orange?? I'm half appalled, half impressed!

Right Shoulder is the pack markings, Intercessors are Grey Hunters in effect so I would use that colour scheme (red and black), of which you can free hand any marking you choose. Fangs, slashes, lines, crosses... anything you can replicate across your squad. You can also use the knee pad on that side to denote pack markings or not as you chose (I personally do pack markings and Great Company markings on opposite sides to the shoulder plate, but thats just me). One thing you can also try, instead of replicating the pack markings on the knee pad perhaps use a Rune to identify each pack member individually. I also paint the chest eagle in bone rather than gold just to be a little different, but it complements the colour scheme nicely to my mind. I also wouldnt worry about the actual chest eagle too much, not every one is a wolfy Mc Wolf face chest eagle, some stick with big daddy E's schemes and it matches the lore that Primaris are "new" and have marched in straight from the foundaries of Mars. So just apply the same logic to the shield and make it look wolfy or give it pack/great company markings to tie it in as much as possible.

I converted some of my Hellblasters to have some of the heads from a box of Space Wolves, it is well worth buying a pack just for conversion pieces. If you dont have any heads to replace the intercessor Sgts head with, then maybe try painting it bone rather than red just to be a bit different to the smurfs. Ill try to get a work in progress picture from some of my hellblasters so you can see what I mean.

I do not know if the hellblasters should have long gangs colours or not. Long fangs had special rules because they where so experienced. Now they do not have those rules any more.

Thanks! Great ideas!

Re. the chest shield, I think I will work something juggling the marine kneepads and the shield in the sergeant. Not sure what yet, but personalization will be a part of that, as per your suggestion.

Regarding the head I did think of a bone finish, but I thought it may be a bit too "chaplainy", and also I'm not sure how to combine that with the skull on the forehead (bone helmet/golden skull, perhaps?). No heads available, and zero conversion skill on my part, and the model is already primed, so I'll refrain from experimenting for the time being.

 Garrlor wrote:
Right Shoulder is the pack markings, Intercessors are Grey Hunters in effect so I would use that colour scheme (red and black), of which you can free hand any marking you choose. Fangs, slashes, lines, crosses... anything you can replicate across your squad. You can also use the knee pad on that side to denote pack markings or not as you chose (I personally do pack markings and Great Company markings on opposite sides to the shoulder plate, but thats just me). One thing you can also try, instead of replicating the pack markings on the knee pad perhaps use a Rune to identify each pack member individually. I also paint the chest eagle in bone rather than gold just to be a little different, but it complements the colour scheme nicely to my mind. I also wouldnt worry about the actual chest eagle too much, not every one is a wolfy Mc Wolf face chest eagle, some stick with big daddy E's schemes and it matches the lore that Primaris are "new" and have marched in straight from the foundaries of Mars. So just apply the same logic to the shield and make it look wolfy or give it pack/great company markings to tie it in as much as possible.

I converted some of my Hellblasters to have some of the heads from a box of Space Wolves, it is well worth buying a pack just for conversion pieces. If you dont have any heads to replace the intercessor Sgts head with, then maybe try painting it bone rather than red just to be a bit different to the smurfs. Ill try to get a work in progress picture from some of my hellblasters so you can see what I mean.

So I think with Space Wolves the Pack Leader fills the role of a spiritual leader in some respects, as much as filling the role of battle leader so a more "chaplainy" helm would suit. As for the the skull... maybe gold or black.